if the bill doesn't make it through congress before the end of the year, the government will be forced to find vast qualities of milk under the trueman era law and that could send consumer milk prices as high as $6 to $8 a gallon because the government would be obligated to pay twice the wholesale rate under the 1949 rule. the farmers would sell their milk to the government first and prompting a shortage in commercial supplies spiking the price consumers pay. >> the farm bill is like the low-hanging ornament on the congressional christmas tree that if they just embrace it, they can automatically come up with tips of billions of dollars in budget savings. >> reporter: the problem is the bill's stuck in the house and there appears to be no political will to move it forward. agriculture secretary tom vilsack said as a precaution, his department is preparing for the laws to take affect. >> this is a bad outcome. let me be very clear about this. i don't think we should want nor should congress consider it a good outcome. >> reporter: it's not just the cows going over the cliff but could be